Grip



July 2s, 1925. 1,547,464

v T. STYAN GRI? Filed March 6. 1924 HH N i Wol/zas Wynn gin/vento@ v Parental July 2s, 1925.

n UNITED STATES THQHAS STYAN, 0F NAYS 'PATENT OFFICE. j

GRIP.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1 THOMAS STYAN, a citizen of the United States -residing at Mays Landing, in the county of Atlantic and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grips; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in grips for handles, such as the levers of automobile gear shifts and the handle bars of bicycles, and elsewhere where a iirm hold is desirable.

Among the objects in View is the provision of a structure which, while affording an easy, iirm hold and capacity for prolonged usage, also ossesses attractiveness of appearance an properties enabling ready visual observance in reduced light.

A more detail object i's the provision of effective means of connection of the grip to the handle or lever in a manner insuring aga-inst injury to the grip, yand a still further object is theadaptation of such connecting means to handles or levers of variable dimensions,

With these AandA further objects in view as will in part hereinafter become apparent and in partbe stated, the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as subsequently specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure l isfa vertical, central section through a -stliucture embodying the fea tures of the present invention, 'and showing the same applied.

Figure 2 is a Aview in side elevation of the threaded sleeve detached.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the grip shown applied to a lever having a threaded receiving end of greater diameter than. that seen in Figure 1 and l with the adapter consequently omitted.

Figure 4 is a vertical, central section through the sleeve adapter engaged by a bolt adapter which in turn engages a modified form of lever.

vFigure 5 is a view similarvto Figure 4 of the same arts with the sleeve adapter indicated as a breviated to enable a portion Application led Iarch 6, 1924. Serial No. 697,417.

of the lever to enter the threaded sleeve of the grip.

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of a further slight modification of the grip shown applied, and for purposes of inte pretation of the appended claims this embodiment may be considered preferred.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a globular :body formed of opal glass' and colored in imitation of onyx or other stone, but possessing sufficient translucence to give the appearance of light, and, accordingly, facilitate `observance when sought by the hand of the o rator in reduced light. The body 1 is ormed by being .cast from molten lass, .andin the operation of casting the y is formed with a depression or recess 2, which is circular in cross section at all 4points and tapers in- Wardly to its base. The recess 2 is formed at its base or inner end with a. parti-globular projection or lug 3 arranged centrally.

Anchoned in the recess 2 is a threaded sleeve 4 tapered to correspond with the taper of the recess 2 and roughened on its exterior, as by being provided with knurling for enhancing the bonding action of cement. The diameter of the sleeve 4 is slightly less than the diameter of recess 2, and the intervening space Ais filled with cement, shown at 5, which effectively anchors the threaded sleeve 4 within the socket.y The lug or pro jection 3 is proportioned to sufficiently nearly fit within the inner end of the'sleeve 4 to center the sleeve within the recess 2 when the sleeve 'is first introduced, so as to insure a substantially equal thickness 'of cement4 coating 5 at all places about the sleeve 4. The sleeve 4 is threaded internally for receiving the handle or lever to which the grip or body 1 is to be attached,

land the inner extremity of the sleeve 4 is left smooth, as indicated at 6. That is to say, the -threads terminate short of the inner end so that when the sleeve 4 is threaded onto a lever or an adapter engaging the lever said lever or adapter cannot enter the sleeve beyond the outer extremity of the smooth portion 6. To avoid the possibility of thev threading of the sleeve 4 onto a `threaded portion of a'lever having itself a smooth extension capable of `projecting along the smooth portion 6 and engaging the body 1 itself, a cushion 7 is provided at the inner end of the sleeve 4 and formed of cork or other appropriate material, which will servel l ed portion 9, which is threaded into an adapting sleeve 10, which adapter or adapting sleeve is in turn threaded into the threaded sleeve 4. It is to be observed that the` adapter or adapting sleeve 10 will always have the external dimension the same and will be threaded to correspond with the internal threads of the sleeve 4, but the bore of the adapter 10 will be vvaried in diameter and in thread to correspondwith the diameter and thread of the threaded portion of the particular lever to be engaged. Thus, the body 1 may be readily applied onto any lever now in use having a threaded portion either dimensioned and proportioned to engage the threads of the sleeve 4, as seen at 11 in Figure 3, or having a threaded portion 01E-less diameter.

However, in the automobile industry some cars are provided with gear shifting levers having threaded sockets at the outer extremity of such levers and to enable the application of the body 1 to such a lever, the arrangement seen in Figures 4 and 6 is employed in which the adapter or adapting sleeve `10 is utilized and is engaged internally by a bolt adapter or externally threaded member 12 designed to project beyond the adapter 10 and enter the threaded socket or recess of the modified lever 13. In Figure 5 is seen a slight modification of the structure shown in Figure 4 in which the adapter 10 is employed, which is identical with adapter 10 except that it is made much shorter, and adapter 10 is engaged by a bo-lt adapter 12A corresponding with the adapter 12 and inv turn engaging the socket of the lever 14. In this particular embodiment, the socketed port-ion 14 is of a diameter slightly less than the diameter of the adapter 10', so as to be free to enter the sleeve 4 and thereby allow the body 1 to be moved down over and conceal all or a part of the socket 14 by a threading action of the sleeve-4 on the adapter 10.

'In actual practice, in the making of grips of this type, I have found that great care must be exercised to prevent a contour or formation of the body 1 such as will place the material under stress and result in cracking and eventual destruction thereof. I have discovered that such cracking occurs occasionally where the recess 2 is cast with its outer terminus bounded by a sharp, circular edge. I have discovered also that the danger of cracking may be largely eliminated by the formation of a rounded bead or rounded shoulder 15 at the place of meeting of the exterior surface of the globe or body 1 with the interior surface outlining the recess 2. ln other words, the recess 2, when caused to meet the exterior surface of the body 1 by the interposition of a rounded shoulder, offers less occasion for stress, and, therefore, frees the structure from the. danger of crack: ing and becoming useless. Y i

The utility of the body 1 or grip is inelusive of the functions of the devices named, and. also various other articles in other arts where a good, firm hold is required for the pulling or shifting of part-s, such as bureau drawers and the like, and in every instance the material affords such opportunity for light reflection as to almost amount to selfillumination and resultant ease of location by the hand of the operator.

In lieu of or in addition to the protection afforded by the smooth portion 6r of sleeve 4, the adapter 1Q preferably has its outer end portion formed smooth, as indicated at 17, so that the external. threads terminate short of the length of theadapter, whereby the adapter cannot enter the sleeve 4 for its full length even though the adapter may be shorter than the threaded portion of the sleeve 4. These smooth portions 6 and 17 are desirable to insure against the threading of a member so far into the sleeve 4 as to exert such an amount of pressure on the cushion 7 as to tend to force the body 1 away from the sleeve 4 and thereby strip or break loose the cement 5.

In Figure 6 is shown a structure identical with that seen in Figure 1, except the fact that the adapters seen in Figure 4 are shown as applied, and the body 1 has its rounded shoulder 15 exaggerated into Aan annular bead 16, both for increasing the aesthetic appeal and adding to the stability of the vitreous substance around the sleeve receiving recess. The other parts shown in Figure 6 being ,identical with those above described, the same reference numerals have been applied and the same description is applicable.

While the body 1 or 1 has been above described as of-glass, it may be formed of any similar appropriate material susceptible of being molded and vitried, and is alwa s preferably of the substance possessing t e lucency desirable for this type of structure. It is also to be understood, of course, that when glass is utilized, vit is preferably supplied with coloring matter'while molten 1n a manner to cause the final product to have the grained appearance of onyx or like stone.

age means to prevent cracking incident to strain about the places of meeting between the body and the anchorage means.

2. A grip of the class described comprising a vitreous body having a recess and a rounded shoulder leading from the exterior .surface of the body to the surface of the recess, and means within the recess for connecting the body to a part to be moved.

3. A grip of the class described comprising a vitreous body having a recess and a rounded, annular shoulder leading from the exterior surface of the body to the surface of the recess, and means within the recess for connecting the body to a part to be moved.

4. A grip of the class described comprising a vitreous body having a recess, and a rounded, annular shoulder leading from the exterior surface of the bod to the surface of the recess, and means wit in the recess for connecting the body to a part to be moved, the said shoulder being shaped to form an annular bead.

5. A grip comprising a vitreous body having a tubular recess and a projection extending outward at the inner end of the recess, and a threaded sleeve cemented within the recess, the projection being proportioned to enter the inner end of the sleeve and center the sleeve relative to the recess.

6. A grip comprising a vitreous body having a tubular recess, and a threaded sleeve anchored in the recess, means being provided within the sleeve for preventing'a threaded member engaging the sleeve from moving within the sleeve for the full length thereof.

7. A grip comprising a vitreous body having a tubular recess, and a threaded sleeve anchored within the recess, the threads ot the sleeve terminating short of the length o the sleeve.

8. A grip comprising a vitreous body having a tubular recess, a threadedsleeve anchored therein, and a cushion at the inner end of the sleeve.

9. A grip comprising a vitreous body having a tubular recess, a sleeve anchored in the recess and having internal threads, and a threaded adapter engaging the threads of the sleeve and having a smooth portion for limiting the extent to .which the adapter may enter the sleeve.

l0. A grip comprising a vitreous body formed with a recess, a sleeve anchored in the recess, an internally and externally threaded tubular adapter engaging the threads of the sleeve, and an externallythreaded adapter engaging the internal threads of the first-mentioned adapter.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signaturev in presence of two witnesses.

- THOMAS STYAN.

Witnesses:

` LoUIs ELY,

THOMAS DE LUCA. 

